With the rising use of social media and applications becoming an integral part of lives and livelihoods, crime rates are rising in this area. In a recent incident, a couple in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas sold their 8-month child to get an iPhone. They wanted to get the phone so as to make short videos for social media platforms, called reels.
The North 24 Parganas police detained a woman identified as Sathi, with the child. Her husband has been identified as Jaydev Ghosh and is yet to be nabbed by the authorities.
How did the couple get caught?
The incident came to light, on July 22, after the locals and the neighbours observed the strange behaviour of the couple.
As per the media reports, one of the neighbours in the Panihati Gandhinagar area grew suspicious after they noted the child’s absence and the sudden change in the couple’s behaviour.
When questioned by neighbours, the couple initially falsely claimed that the child was with a relative.
As per the details, the couple does not come from a well-to-do family and were struggling to make ends meet. Soon after the child went missing, the couple bought an iPhone.
They did not stop there, with the new phone in they also travelled to different parts of the state to shoot and post the videos on the microblogging site, Instagram.
Upon being asked by their neighbours about the whereabouts of the baby, the couple admitted they sold their son in return for money.
The neighbours claimed that the couple has a 7-year-old daughter and they indulge in arguments, assaults and drug abuse.
Cops recovered the child from another woman
The neighbours informed the police and as soon as the investigations began the police rescued the child from another woman. As per the reports the police tracked the woman in Khardah area. The woman has been identified as, Priyanka Ghosh. The couple had sold their son to this woman in exchange for money for the phone.
After the recovery, police also arrested Ghosh.
They wanted to sell their daughter as well
The reports have quoted, a local councillor saying that the duo wanted to sell their daughter for money.
Local councillor Tarak Guha said, “After selling the boy, Jaydev also tried to sell the girl on Saturday midnight. We informed the police as soon as we came to know about it. Police have arrested Jaydev.”
The police did not confirm the allegations made by the neighbours. They said it was not clear whether the boy was sold due to poverty or any other reason.
According to a police officer from Barrackpore Commissionerate, the investigation is going on, and the case is being looked at from all angles.
In a video shared by Daily O, the police can be seen taking away a lady who is holding a baby in her arms in a police van. Though the face of the woman is covered she appears to be Priyanka Ghosh who had bought the baby from the couple.
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